Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 41

Jiang Ran couldn’t hold back her laughter, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Jiang Qi looked up at her with a puzzled expression. This girl had been acting strange these past couple of days, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly was off.

But she didn’t dwell on it, because in her heart and in her eyes, she could only see Chi Shuang.

At the thought of Chi Shuang, a joyful smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and she turned her head to look at her.

Chi Shuang was taking small bites of the crab meat Jiang Qi had peeled for her, chewing slowly and delicately, a sight that was truly pleasing to the eyes.

“Stop staring at me,” Chi Shuang said helplessly after enduring another minute of the intense gaze.

“Oh, but… you’re just so beautiful…” Jiang Qi pouted, sounding aggrieved.

Chi Shuang gritted her teeth in frustration. Ever since they’d confirmed their relationship, Jiang Qi had been like this, sticky and clingy, with none of the aloof CEO demeanor she’d had before.

The meal lasted over an hour. They finished the last bottle of wine, wished each other a happy Dragon Boat Festival, and then went their separate ways.

Chi Shuang seemed a little angry, upset that Jiang Qi didn’t know how to rein it in. After the meal, she ignored her completely.

Once upstairs, Jiang Qi cautiously knocked on the door and apologized, “I’m sorry, please don’t ignore me.”

“Really, I truly know I was wrong.”

“I’ll definitely tone it down in front of the cameras from now on.”

“If… if you don’t want to go public, for the sake of your career, we could even have a secret marriage…”

The more she spoke, the more absurd she became! Chi Shuang gritted her teeth and opened the door. “You really don’t know what you did wrong, do you?”

Jiang Qi, caught off guard by the sudden sternness, looked even more wronged.

Chi Shuang reached out and pinched her cheeks, pulling them to either side. “Keep pretending! Let me tell you, I have no sympathy. The only time I’ll feel sorry for you is when you’re crying in my bed!”

Chi Shuang wasn’t using much force, but Jiang Qi still managed to put on a dramatic performance, letting tears well up in her eyes. “That… wouldn’t be so bad either…”

“Ugh!”

Chi Shuang sighed in exasperation.

What was up with this kid? She was only a year younger than her, and in their first life, she hadn’t been like this at all!

She remembered again, in their first life, the two of them had developed feelings for each other naturally, without all this drama. They’d gotten together effortlessly, and it was mostly Jiang Qi who took the initiative.

Naturally, in their interactions, Jiang Qi had been the more dominant one.

But now… looking at the person in front of her, who was supposed to be a top-tier Alpha, she was really just a little crybaby.

But she couldn’t explain to her that the reason she didn’t want to be too intimate in front of the cameras was that Jiang Qi might turn into someone else after October of the following year.

She had already made up her mind: if it really came to that, if Jiang Qi irreversibly became someone else, then they might as well perish together. They could just start over in the next life.

After all, she didn’t want someone else using her lover’s body.

Chi Shuang fell silent for a long time, but Jiang Qi’s eyes held a glimmer of anticipation. “Can I go cry in your bed now?”

“How can a CEO of a listed company be so shameless?” Chi Shuang couldn’t help but facepalm.

“It’s only because I love you~” Jiang Qi said, acting cute.

Chi Shuang couldn’t resist pinching her cheeks again. “Tell me, who are you really? You’re not Jiang Qi, are you?”

Jiang Qi nodded. “I’m your little darling~”

Chi Shuang let go, turned around, and closed the door without a hint of hesitation. “Goodbye!”

The door nearly hit Jiang Qi’s nose. Jiang Qi covered her face and mumbled, “Hmm… good thing I’m the real deal.”

But what about the promised shyness? Could it be that the fanfiction had lied to her? Shouldn’t the plot have progressed to a shy kiss by now?

Jiang Qi pulled up that fanfiction again: OOC warning? What does OOC mean?

Unable to figure it out, Jiang Qi could only scroll back to the comments section.

The chaotic comments section from the afternoon had now returned to harmony. Jiang Qi didn’t know how Lin Wei had managed it, but she was so pleased that, on top of doubling the year-end bonus, she added another ten percent raise.

Even though Chi Shuang was ignoring her, at least she still had fanfiction.

Thinking this, she happily returned to her room to read more fanfiction.

The next morning, she woke up with dark circles under her eyes and had to use eye masks for an emergency fix.

When she went downstairs, Chi Shuang was preparing breakfast, seasoned meat filling and a dough that had already risen.

Jiang Qi opened the kitchen door: “Let me help you.”

Afraid Chi Shuang might be angry, her tone wasn’t the playful, whiny one from yesterday but rather cool, though still carrying a hint of gentleness.

Seeing that Jiang Qi wasn’t making any other moves, Chi Shuang nodded and shifted aside to make space for her.

“Are we having steamed buns today?” Jiang Qi asked proactively.

“Well, it is the actual Dragon Boat Festival today,” Chi Shuang replied.

Turning around, she saw that Jiang Qi had already washed her hands and was skillfully picking up the rolling pin and a piece of dough, rolling it into a perfect circle.

Jiang Qi was quite adept at making steamed buns, thin wrappers, generous filling, no leaks, and evenly pleated folds, making them quite beautiful.

Chi Shuang’s eyes lit up: “How are you so good at making steamed buns too?”

In their first life, aside from being inseparable during the three months of the variety show, they had spent very little time together after marriage. They weren’t short on money, so whenever they had time off, they would book high-end restaurants or go traveling, rarely cooking for themselves.

But because Chi Shuang loved pasta, Jiang Qi would always make her tomato and meat sauce spaghetti on the first morning of their vacations.

“Yeah, I learned it from my grandma.” When Jiang Qi mentioned her grandma, her features softened unconsciously.

Chi Shuang had never heard Jiang Qi mention her before and was a bit surprised: “Grandma?”

“Yeah, but she passed away when I was little.”

No wonder she’d never heard of her. But judging by Jiang Qi’s expression, she must have been very close to her grandma.

“But… how old were you when you learned to make steamed buns?” Chi Shuang suddenly recalled, expressing her surprise.

Jiang Qi didn’t stop her work: “Five years old.”

“Oh my, you were so sensible.” Chi Shuang couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. Given the Jiang family’s background, how could a five-year-old Jiang Qi be making steamed buns herself?

Indeed, every family has its own difficulties.

Jiang Qi knew Chi Shuang was curious and was about to reach out and boop her cute, upturned nose when she realized her hands were covered in flour. Turning her head, she also noticed a camera pointed right at them.

“If you want to know, I’ll tell you in detail next time.”

Chi Shuang nodded, agreeing for now.

But she didn’t have a habit of prying into others’ private matters. Since Jiang Qi hadn’t talked much about her family even after they were married in their first life, she had even less right to ask now, when they weren’t even in a relationship.

Plump, white steamed buns lined up one by one in the steamer. Chi Shuang heated the water first to let them ferment.

After washing her hands, she said, “You go rest. I’ll take care of things here.”

“No need, I’m not tired. I’ll add firewood for you.” Jiang Qi sat down behind the stove. Though the heat made her sweat a little, she was quite pleased with the spot where she could catch a glimpse of Chi Shuang just by tilting her head slightly.

Once Chi Shuang moved out of her line of sight, Jiang Qi glanced around, then picked a few sweet potatoes from a nearby bag. “Have you ever had sweet potatoes roasted in the fire?”